Daan van der Schriek

As a terrorist investigation in Britain expands following the discovery of traces of deadly gas, Georgian officials are disputing a report that the poisonous substance may have been produced in the Pankisi Gorge and later transferred to the suspects.

Officials are clamping down on Chechen activity in Azerbaijan in the aftermath of the Moscow hostage crisis. Observers say the Azerbaijani action is motivated more by a desire to strengthen ties between Baku and Moscow than by fear of Russian retaliation.

A consequence of pending constitutional amendments in Azerbaijan is a growing rift between President Heidar Aliyev's administration and opposition leaders. Aliyev critics are now embracing confrontational tactics, spurred by the belief that the looming changes, in particular the alteration of the electoral system, will thoroughly marginalize the political opposition.

Video footage shot by a British cameraman, who was reportedly killed during a firefight between Chechen separatists and Russian troops, is prompting greater scrutiny of Chechen activity on Georgian territory. The video has embarrassed Georgian leaders, apparently by belying Tbilisi's denials that large numbers of Chechen fighters have used Georgian territory as a safe haven.

Turkmen officials have floated ambitious plans for over $45 billion in investments in the country's oil and gas sector. To realize this goal, Turkmenistan faces a considerable challenge in attracting foreign investment.

With the world's eyes on Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have set up an inter-parliamentary joint group to improve trade and customs procedures between the two countries. Kazakh television reported April 30 that the countries established this group in response to Kyrgyz accusations that Kazakhstan had refused to ratify various trade agreements.

Even before the events of September 11, the Kyrgyz economy was one of the bleakest in Central Asia. Investments into the country until that date had dropped almost 30 percent in 2001's first nine months. Now that Kyrgyzstan has welcomed American troops and embraced the war on terrorism, its government is hoping for a meaningful boost in foreign aid.

A US task force is scheduled to conduct joint military exercises with Kyrgyz troops on January 24, outside Bishkek. In the first of several such planned exercises, US and Kyrgyz soldiers will practice anti-guerrilla operations in mountainous terrain. The joint maneuvers, along with a January 23 visit by Gen.